Meet the American woman who charges Rs 26 lakh to pick baby names

Imagine paying someone more than Rs 26 lakh just to help you decide what to name your baby. Sounds unbelievable, right? But that’s exactly what Taylor Humphrey, an American “baby name consultant,” charges some of her clients.

Humphrey, 37, has built a career out of something most people do for free – brainstorming baby names – and has turned it into a luxury service for wealthy parents who want the perfect, meaningful name for their child.

Her journey started nearly a decade ago, when she began sharing her fascination with baby names online. Today, she has built a strong following of more than 100,000 people on TikTok and Instagram, where she regularly shares name suggestions and trends, reports The San Francisco Chronicle.

Here’s a closer look at her and the surprising world of baby name consulting.

‘A name nerd’

Taylor Humphrey calls herself a “name nerd”, and she really means it. With a background in branding, marketing, and doula training, she has built thousands of spreadsheets packed with names, their origins, meanings, and even the “vibes” they give off.

For a long time, however, she wasn’t so confident in describing her unusual career. “I used to cringe when people would ask me what I did for a living,” she admitted. But things have changed. Today, she answers without hesitation: “I help people pick their baby names.”

Her services start small, with a $200 (Rs 17,742) package where she sends parents a customised list of name suggestions, complete with meanings and popularity trends. But that’s just the beginning.

For parents who want more, her fees climb steeply. A $10,000 (Rs 8.87 lakh) package comes with VIP treatment, while her most exclusive offering, priced at a jaw-dropping $30,000 (about Rs 26 lakh), includes everything from genealogical research to full-scale baby name branding campaigns, The San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Her clients range from everyday parents who are simply stuck, to celebrities seeking names that no one else has. “It’s really an honour to walk with these parents during a critical moment of their lives,” she said.

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A booming business  

Taylor Humphrey is part of a small but growing niche: baby-name consulting. In fact, she’s one of only about a dozen people in the US doing it full-time, and the only one based in the Bay Area.

Her work, she insists, isn’t just about tossing out a list of names. “It is not just about coming up with a name. Sometimes I feel like more of a therapist or a mediator between parents,” she told The San Francisco Chronicle.

One couple, for example, called her when their baby’s discharge from the hospital was delayed because they couldn’t agree on a middle name. Within minutes, Humphrey helped them settle the debate, saving them both stress and money.

Over time, the requests she receives have become increasingly specific. Parents now ask for names that reflect cultural roots, respect family traditions, or strike the perfect balance between classic and modern. Some even want extras, like think tanks to brainstorm with her or customised “baby name aesthetics,” according to the New York Post.

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Experts say this surge in demand reflects how overwhelming naming a child can feel for parents today. A survey by BabyCenter.com found that nearly 10 per cent of mothers wished they had chosen a different name for their child, a phenomenon often called “name regret.”

Since a 2021 profile in The New Yorker, Humphrey’s visibility has grown, and so has her business. She’s raised her fees, embraced the luxury angle of her services, and continued expanding, even as some online critics mock her profession.

“I had to come to terms with the fact that people often find me through content that pokes fun at me,” she admitted. “I accept it because I believe the work I’m doing is really important.”

With input from agencies